Floods in Pakistan: Guterres asks for the support of the international community and more measures against climate change

On the first day of his visit to Pakistan, the General secretary of the United Nations expressed this Friday its deepest solidarity with the Pakistani people, especially after the devastating loss of life and the suffering that the floods that the Asian country has suffered for almost three months continue to cause.

During a press conference with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Guterres recalled that some regions of Pakistan have just experienced the wettest August on record and that the rainfall in some provinces has been up to eight times higher than usual.

After recalling the devastating images of destruction seen in the media, Guterres announced that tomorrow he will see live the impact caused by the floods in different areas of the country.

“My heart goes out to all who have lost loved ones in this tragedy, and to all who have been affected by the loss of their homes, their businesses and their livelihoods,” he lamented.

Relationship of affection with the Pakistani people

The Secretary-General recalled his multiple visits to the Asian nation when he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and noted that Pakistan hosts one of the most efficient and generous refugee operations in the world, supporting millions of Afghans.

“I have had an affective relationship with the Pakistani people for 17 years. I was, in 2005, talking to the victims of the earthquake. I remember the devastation of the floods in 2010. And I remember being with displaced people when the terror attacks in the Swat Valley happened and going to Islamabad and seeing their dramatic situation,” he described.

Despite not contributing to global warming, Pakistan pays a high price

He then described the situation experienced by a people as generous as the Pakistani as “heartbreaking” and stressed that no country deserves this fate, especially when Pakistan has done almost nothing to contribute to global warming.

“Pakistan and other developing countries, from the Horn of Africa to the Sahel, are paying an atrocious price for the intransigence of the large emitters who continue to bet on fossil fuelsin the face of science, common sense and basic human decency”, he stated, recalling that polluting emissions increase while people die in floods and famines.

“This is crazy. This is collective suicide”, she warned and called for it to be stopped and to end “the war against nature” by immediately investing in renewable energies.

Therefore, he stressed that developed countries must step forward and provide Pakistan and other countries with the financial and technical resources they need to survive extreme weather events such as these deadly floods.

“Half of climate finance must go to adaptation and resilience in the developing world. Developed countries must develop a credible roadmap that supports their commitment to double their financial support”, he reiterated and urged governments to address this issue at the upcoming 27th United Nations Climate Conference (COP27).

Finally, he recalled how important the assistance provided by the UN on the ground is, in support of the Pakistani Government, but acknowledged that “what we have done is a drop in the ocean of the needs of the pakistani people and drew the international community’s attention to this climate catastrophe, asking them to show large-scale support.

UN/Eskinder Debebe

Secretary-General António Guterres (right, facing away from the camera) together with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif visit the National Flood Response and Coordination Center in Islamabad

Visit to the National Flood Response and Coordination Center

Guterres, accompanied by Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths and Resident Coordinator Julien Harneis began his first day in Islamabad by meeting with the UN team in Pakistan

UN agencies briefed the Secretary-General on the response situation in the country and its needs.

Griffiths unlocked $7 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund on Friday to bolster emergency aid in Pakistan. With this allocation, the total assistance provided by the Fund in response to the floods rises to 10 million dollars, after an initial disbursement of 3 million dollars last month

Later, Guterres met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the two visited the National Flood Response and Coordination Center, created on September 1 to coordinate the national response to the current floods.

During his visit to the compound, Guterres watched, along with Pakistani officials and other attendees, a short video that vividly described the magnitude of the devastation caused by the floods.

The images showed cars and buildings swept away by the massive floods. The video also showed the heartbreaking situation of displaced women, children and men.